‘Humans in the Loop’: Award-winning feature on Adivasi AI data-labeller to release on this date

The makers ofHumans in the Loop, an award-winning feature about an Adivasi woman working as an AI data-labeller, have adopted an intriguing distribution model to reach audiences nationwide. The film, which recently won the FIPRESCI India award (sharing the honour alongside All We Imagine as Light), will release through a mix of theatrical and independent screenings, a campaign that begins this Friday, September 5, at Cinépolis Andheri in Mumbai, followed by openings in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Bengaluru from September 12 onwards.

Directed by Aranya Sahay,Humans in the Loop aims to bring urgent conversations on technology, labour and indigenous knowledge into the public domain. “The film is set in Jharkhand and follows Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman whose livelihood in AI data-labelling exposes the hidden labour that powers ‘smart’ technologies. By showing how technological progress can entrench exclusion while sidelining indigenous knowledge systems, the film raises urgent questions about the future we are building,” reads a press release from the makers.

Interestingly, the film has acclaimed filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo as executive producers. “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking. The film has wings and carries a very important global message about technology, labour, and the knowledge systems we risk losing. Supporting this project felt both urgent and necessary,” said Kiran in a statement.

Biju, a pioneer in Adivasi cinema, said, “This film speaks directly to the lives of people I personally have known and seen. For too long, Adivasi perspectives have remained invisible, not just in history, but even in how we imagine the future. Humans in the Loop boldly expresses our perspective. Having seen the film from its inception, I’m proud to say that it’s both a regional film and a global at the same time.”

Meanwhile, director Aranya Sahay said that the support from Kiran and Biju gives indie filmmakers immense courage. “It has taken a year of consistent outreach through micro-community screenings to reach a momentum to release the film theatrically. I do hope that audiences across the country can experience it on the big screen. Humans in the Loop is not just a story about one woman in Jharkhand, it is about all of us asking what kind of future we want to build with technology,” added Aranya.

Humans in the Loop is produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar and Aranya through Storiculture’s Impact Fellowship and SAUV Films.